There are currently over 100 million wine drinkers in the United States alone, as compared to about half that for beer and spirits. This is a relatively recent trend that is projected to grow, as America's Millennials have demonstrated a preference for wine over beer.
The American wine consumer is becoming younger, more feminine and more cost conscious. A beverage once reserved for wealthier, higher educated Americans to enjoy only at dinner and special occasions is now a beverage for the masses, enjoyed at the most casual of settings, including pools, beaches, camping, concert and sporting events. The use of glass is not ideal or permitted at these venues or occasions, and yet traditional wine consumption practices are predicated on the use of a GLASS bottle and a GLASS tumbler. As a result, the actual or perceived quality of wine at non-glass venues is greatly diminished when served in a plastic cup or from a delivery system that does not convey quality and experience.
There exist few solutions that address the need for mass dispensing of wine in non-glass settings that satisfy both the concessionaire's need for cost and convenience AND the consumer's desire for experience and quality. Most concession providers resort to serving wine out of a conventional 750 ml bottle which is not only inefficient for service time, but it also results in a good amount of product loss. Also the product cost are higher because bottles are relatively expensive and costly to ship when compared to wine stored and shipped in bags. Alternatively, concessionaires have begun to offer sealed single-serving wine cups, but these options are unappealing to most wine drinkers because the quality is low and the experience has little to do with what they associate with the desired wine experience and taste.
There are significant and growing numbers of wine drinkers seeking wine in non-glass environments. For instance, 50 million of the 75 million American baseball fans are wine drinkers, and yet wine sales only account for about 5-10% of alcohol sales at large-scale, non-glass venues hosting sporting events, concerts, fairs and festivals. This glaring discrepancy begs the question, “Why?”